To this Dad of a Soldier serving a third combat tour in the sandbox, our military family could frankly care less what we leave behind in Iraq, because AMERICA has not shared in our sacrifice, AMERICA has never been asked to share in our sacrifice going into Iraq, and AMERICA will NEVER be asked to share in the DEFENSE of the so called United States of America.
This coming November our military family does not care to what political party you belong too follow this motto - if they are an incumbent in Congress, especially if they voted for sending our troops to Iraq, voted to Stay the Course, voted to keep spending never ending dollars that went to Hallaburton instead of supplying our troops - VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT AN INCUMBENT OR PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE-STAY HOME ELECTION DAY.
Bobby "Indy Thinker" Hanafin
SP-5, U.S. Army (68-76)
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired (77-94)
To this Dad of a Soldier serving a third combat tour in the sandbox, our military family could frankly care less what we leave behind in Iraq, because AMERICA has not shared in our sacrifice, AMERICA has never been asked to share in our sacrifice going into Iraq, and AMERICA will NEVER be asked to share in the DEFENSE of the so called United States of America.
Just cherishing the thought that OUR SOLDIER survived just one more so-called voluntary stop loss tour, just one more AMERICAN shame, just one more blemish on AMERICA'S reputation in the world.
That is good enough for our military family. We do not do this for the money, for the flag waving, and America can keep it's cheaply made Support Our Troops magnetic ribbons. Your kind of PATRIOTISM comes cheap as an American Legion or VFW Patriotic Sales Catalog.
Freedom Ain't Free, but you sure as hell can buy it CHEAP for a few bucks in any VSO sales catalog and slap it on your Pick Up Truck Billy Bob.
Senator Joe Biden says that during his latest tour of Iraq our Generals in Iraq made it clear we will begin leaving Iraq this year.
To our military family that is over 2,500 lost American youngsters and how many wounded TOO LATE.
Screw what we leave behind and let us FOCUS NOW on who to blame - OK so that WE can by GOD avoid this happening in the future like it happened at least twice in the past (Vietnam and NOW).
We have NOW come full circle - OUR GOVERNMENT IS TO BLAME - KEEP THE FOCUS THERE.
This coming November our military family does not care to what political party you belong too follow this motto - if they are an incumbent in Congress, especially if they voted for sending our troops to Iraq, voted to Stay the Course, voted to keep spending never ending dollars that went to Hallaburton instead of supplying our troops - VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT AN INCUMBENT OR PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE-STAY HOME ELECTION DAY.
Bobby "Indy Thinker" Hanafin
SP-5, U.S. Army (68-76)
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired (77-94)
Joe Biden <JoeBiden@uniteourstates.com> wrote:
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:15:50 GMT
From: "Joe Biden" <JoeBiden@uniteourstates.com>
To: "Robert L. Hanafin Major USAF-RET" <indythinker@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Iraq
I have just returned from my seventh trip to Iraq, and want to share with you what I learned there. There are two parallel realities in Iraq right now. If you spend time with our military and diplomatic teams, you can't help but be impressed with the job they're doing, under very difficult conditions. But for all their achievements, the larger reality is this: Iraq -- and the success of our mission there -- remains a prisoner to terrible and growing violence and the lack of a plan to stop it. I still do not see a clear strategy for victory in Iraq -- I see a strategy to prevent outright defeat.
As our own ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, has acknowledged, sectarian violence has trumped the insurgency and foreign terrorists as the main security threat in Iraq. It is spiraling in Baghdad in spite of a much-publicized operation to secure the city with more than 50,000 forces.
Three overwhelming problems feed the violence.
First, the absence of a political settlement that gets Sunni buy-in and a commitment from the major groups to pursue their interests peacefully.
Second, the absence of any governing capacity in the civilian agencies to deliver basic services to the Iraqi people.
And third, mass unemployment which is swelling the ranks of the militias, the insurgency and criminal gangs.
If we do not meet these challenges, we risk trading a dictator for chaos.
Let me say a few words about each one.
First, in the absence of a political solution, the Sunni insurgents won't stand down and the Shiite militia violence won't stop. We have to cut this Gordian knot.
Last year, Ambassador Khalilzad pulled a rabbit out of his hat by engineering an agreement to allow the constitution to be amended. That agreement averted a crisis and ensured Sunni participation in December's elections. But now I'm told we are no longer pushing the Iraqis to follow-through with amendments.
That's a big mistake. Whether by amendment or some other mechanism, the Shi'a-led government has to take significant steps beyond giving them ministries to bring the Sunnis in.
In particular, they must guarantee Sunnis a share of oil revenues.
In addition, the government has to be willing to move against the Shi'a militia with the same intensity that it moves against the Sunni-based insurgency.
After meeting with Prime Minister Maliki -- and he's an impressive man -- I'm not sure about the government's ability or willingness to amend the constitution or to effectively demobilize the militias.
Maliki has to contend with the politics of the Shi'a coalition. If he gives up too much to the Sunnis, or if he moves too harshly against the Shi'a militia, he risks losing the support of his coalition.
We need to keep up the pressure to bring the Sunnis in and keep the militia out, which will marginalize the Sunni insurgents. But we shouldn't be the only ones doing it because our influence is a diminishing asset. That's why it is so urgent we work the international community and Iraq's neighbors into the effort.
I see no plan to do that, beyond the so-called "Compact" which is limited to getting others to put more money into Iraq.
The second challenge is governing capacity. If the government can't do basic things -- like turn on the lights, provide clean water, make payrolls, or supply and sustain the army -- then we'll leave behind a failing state when our troops come home.
We need a massive civilian effort to build the Iraqi government, like the effort our military is making to train and build the capacity of the security forces and ministries.
The staff at the American Embassy in Iraq indicates there is such a plan -- with clear tactics, targets and benchmarks. If so, they should share it with us.
After his visit, President Bush talked about sending some of his cabinet secretaries to Iraq. This is encouraging, even if it's three years down the road. But I wish he had gone himself to each of our key agencies -- State, AID, Agriculture, Commerce, HHS and so forth -- and brought their employees together and personally made an appeal to them to go to Iraq to help Iraq's ministries get up to speed.
Even as we start to draw down our military forces, we have to make this massive civilian effort. If we don't, we will see one of two things: complete chaos or the emergence of a military strongman as the training of the Iraqi Army outpaces civilian reconstruction and, out of frustration, the military takes over everything.
The third challenge is massive unemployment. Angry young men are joining criminal gangs, insurgent groups, and militia at an alarming rate for one simple reason -- they get paid.
We need specific plans to generate employment and give young men an alternative. The military has proposed solutions like investing in the agricultural sector, which can soak up lots of the unemployed. But the military can't do this alone.
The President's budget for civilian reconstruction is dropping precipitously. Foreign donors are not making good on old pledges or making new ones. Even with oil prices up, the resources aren't there to create jobs.
Our Generals made clear that we will begin leaving Iraq this year.
But as we leave Iraq, it is very important what we leave behind.
Our efforts in Iraq still lack a strategy for success. The President owes that to our soldiers and their families, to the Iraqis and to the American people.